Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-11-04
AFTER TWO YEARS.
BY A. URBAN EvERErrE.


whispered tones, he desisted from his
occupation Of chatting the hands Of the
apparently lifele5s man before him, to
look up questioningly into his compan-
ions face.
It was a terrible night without the
thunder was rolling and crashing, while
every few moments the darkness was
illuminated by flashes Of forked light
ming. At the foot Of the winding stone
stairs, which led up to the lighthouse
tower, was stretched an unconscious
form, while over him bent the brother
and sister, endeavoring with all their
might to coax back the spark Of life
which the cruel waves had striven to
extinguish forever. The boy was young
about 10, while the girl was perhaps
two years his senior. She was tall and
1.-THE, with a noble and beautiful face
and resolute eyes.
Her attire was a simply-made dress Of
some waterproof material and it showed
traces of recent contact with the water.
as did her hair, which hung In drenched
masses down over her shoulders.
"Oh. Tom, do not stopl" she e1-
claimed, in answer to her brothers
words. think he has only tainted
Yes; see, he moves"
And even as she spoke, the object Of
their kindness opened his eyes.
Grace had been right He had only
tainted, and after a while, with much
assistance, he was enabled to ascend
the lighthouse stairs.
With apt, tender fingers, Grace made
him comfortable upon sofa, which was
the chief article Of furniture of which
the tiny room boosted. and then left
him alone with her brother, while she
departed to freshly trim the light
"NOw, my lad, while your sister is
away want you to tell me what has
happened To whom dol owe my life ?
remember embarking for a sail, Of q
sudden storm, Of vainly trying to return
to shore, and then Of icing capsized
and adrift at the mercy Of the waves;
after that all is blank"
At the request Of the stranger, Tom.
nothing 10th, began his story in his
energetic, boyish way, and John Main
waring soon saw that If it had not been
for the courage and daring Of this lad
and his sister he would not now have
been IN the land Of the living.
It had happened that morning that
the lighthouse keeper had started upon
one Of his rare trips to the mainland,
leaving his son and daughter 10 perform
his duties
When the storm had risen Grace had
been busying herself about the light
when her brother came to her with the
intelligence that during a fash OF
lightning he had seen q small sail-boai
capsize just on the rock-bound shore OF
their island
Together, they armed with q strong
coil Of rope, had proceeded out upon
the rocks as far as they dared, and
strained their eager eyes over the rag
ing water, trying to see if there were
any chance of saving a human life.
During one of the Iurid lightning
flashes they had suddenly discerned (
dark object which had seemingly beer
thrown by the waves upon the rock
which reared their jagged heads out o
the water. They could not be certain
whether the dark object were a fioatinl
spar, or q man; but without a moment
hesitation the girl, as she was the bet
ter swimmer Of the two, had wound on
end Of the rope round her waist, Will
her brother held the other. and ha.
courngeOusly struck out amid the buffet
ing waves
"Grace caught You and pulled yor
both in, SIR, concluded Tom, simply
As if the action had been an every-da
occurrence; "and for a while I wa
afraid you would never come to-"
The next morning when John trieI
to walk he found that the sprain to hi
ankle which at first had seemed yer
slight, had become very painful an.
that inflammation had set in. So he ha
no alternative but to accept the eordia
invitation Of the hght-house-keepe
(who had returned as soon as the storm
abated) to stay a while upon tn
island
Several weeks fitted by and ye
John Mainwaring remained at the light
house, adapting himself with tru
courtesy to the simple ways of his en-
tertainers- And at length it came t
pass that the man Of the world who
though possessed Of wealth and intel
lset, yet in the course of thirty years o
lonely. unloved life, had never know
true happiness. found that fate ha
suddenly thrown q new and absorbing
interest into his life
The more he saw her the NOR
clearly he came to understand what
noble character lay hidden in Grae
Burnham's girlish heart, and to his owl
surprise he found himself reviewing
for her interest all the varied scenes o
his life.
Grace. all unconscious what was tn
true reason that she 50 deeply enloye,
the strangers conversation, woul
listen with her heart in her eyes.
Things went on in this way unit
Johns foot ceased to trouble him.
Then suddenly he awoke to the trutl
that, within the space Of a few shor
weeks. his heart had irrevocably passe,
out Of his keeping.
At frst the knowledge startled him
for, beautiful and lady-like In all he
ways, still Grace was very differen
from the fashionable ladies he had bee
accustomed to meet in socisty.
i !